The effects of a music training program on rhythmic skills, executive functions, and linguistic abilities in preschoolers

Introduction: Literature has explored the relationship between music/rhythmic activities and developmental domains such as cognition and language. However, few studies have considered the impact of structured music training programs on cognitive and language development in preschoolers. This study aims to investigate the role of music training in developing rhythmic abilities, executive functions, and lexical skills. Method: Participants were 55 children (25 girls) aged between 46 and 58 months (Mage = 53.0) at the baseline and between 50 and 66 months (Mage = 57.1) at the re-test. Using a randomized pre-post-test control trial, 32 children (14 girls, training group, TG) participated in an 8-week music training program while 23 children (11 girls) acted as a comparison group (control group, CG). All the children were tested twice (pre- and post-training) using the “Rhythmic Imitation Test” (Stamback, 1980) for rhythmic skills, the “Stroop Day/Night” task (Usai et al., 2017) for inhibitory control, the “Keep in Mind” task (Usai et al., 2017) for working memory, the “Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test” (PPVT; Stella et al., 2000) for receptive vocabulary, and the “Oral Comprehension Test” (TOR; Levorato & Roch, 2007) for listening text comprehension. Results: Repeated measures mixed ANCOVA, with parents’ education as a covariate, were run on the variables considered to assess the impact of the music training program. Data analysis revealed a significant main effect of “time” on receptive vocabulary score [F(1,41) = 13.580, p = <.001, η² = 0.021]; a significant interaction between “time” and “group” for rhythmic abilities [F(1,36) = 4.215, p = 0.047, η² = 0.024], for inhibitory control [F(1,40) = 9.500, p = 0.004, η² = 0.032] and working memory [F(1,42) = 5.050, p = 0.030, η² = 0.024]. Furthermore, partial correlations revealed that receptive vocabulary significantly correlates with rhythmic abilities (r(48) = 0.336; p = 0.032) and inhibitory control (r(49) = 0.552; p = <.001); and morphosyntax abilities with inhibitory control (r(49) = 0.379; p = 0.013) at the baseline. Conclusions: These results suggest that short music training enhances rhythmic skills, executive functions, and, indirectly, language development in preschoolers. These findings can have an impact on the educational practices of preschoolers.